Tell me about yourself

Having just had to interview some writers for a contract position, I’ve been thinking a lot about job interviews. One of the standard questions that interviewers like to use is “Tell me about yourself”. It can be a tricky question. US News has an article that talks about how to handle this question should you be on the receiving end.

“Tell me about yourself” is one of the most common openers to a job interview, yet job-seekers are often unsure what employers really want to hear in response. Should your answerinclude personal information? Should it focus on selling yourself, or just give the facts? What is the employer really asking?

Let’s translate it: “Tell me about yourself” in a job interview means “give me an overview of who you are, professionally speaking.” There’s a reason this is asked at the very beginning of an interview; it’s a way of saying, “Give me some broad background before we dive into specifics.”

You should be ready with a one-minute answer that summarizes where you are in your career, generally with an emphasis on your most recent job and the strengths of your approach.